← The source library
Neoplatonism · from the Internet Archive

The Commentaries of Proclus on the Timaeus of Plato — trans. Thomas Taylor (1820)

Preserved in the archive of the housea source of Proclus

interpret* many tiling* pertsmmg to the firmer. And again, the prophetic require* the telrstic mania. lor the tilestic m iiua perle Is an 1 establishes oracular prediction-. I arlhcr at ill, the | ruphenc n-n tl e pocnc atiJ mu'ltal in.iiua lor prophet•, a' I may »av, ulwais spi'.ik ill ser-c. And again, ll.r inmoial uses lit pii.phrlir mama *■( nlam u-ly, as I'latu 4 it a. Hut shat 01 • a Mon Is tin It- to s|u ik all ut tin am it ry, ai l musical mamas; f ir luailv tin- -amc p rums ext ni't loth these, as h»r in stance, .'sappho, A nacre 11, ainl the like, in consr jiiriii e ot tin-si- m-t l» u; at h t.i miliMst without rat h other. II it it is very eiideut tli it th amatory n an a contriluiii s to at’ tin s-, sun c

it is sill 11» itnl tij enlhusta-iii ot tiny kind loi nn

enthij’.U'iil rail he eftcilid without am,lory in'] na¬
tion. Alul Son mat sir how (hphrus t| peal* tu have
appluil hiili'i II t j all time, as being ill want of, alul

adhering l . < u li o her I »r or h ini that he » is

must tclf-tic, ul d IliO't | loplu In’, and was entiled hy Apo.lu, ai.d L< 'idt s thi', t li at I •* w as IHii't | rt r, i n which account, ht is sad to have Inn lie son of Calliope, lit- w as likcwi-e most amatory, at he him- si It atl.now lril^.S tl Mii'.i ii*, extending lu him tl - vme gnid', and mulcting him pern ft I ui.ee he appears to hate hrril pos'essed wuh all tl < mamas, • ml l ns Ly a rides'ary col sequence I or these is an ahiii lull mil’ ll, Cuii'jur 1:1011 aiul alliance with ouch other, ul [hi t>.,.Is who preside otti tl >e in inias, v:r. ol the Must ', Hau lin', \pol!u, and Imve.

“ It remains it.tut re, that wr should unfold the na¬ ture ol ul li of the mam i', presloii-ly ob-erviur, that th se which are mti rnal, and oiiginaH from the soul li If, am] give perfection to ir, are of om kind. Ini tl e t sit ri al energies ol them, and which prr-trve the outward mail, and oar nature, are of another. 1 e lour external however, are analogous (o the lour inter¬ nal ni uuas. l.-t us Consider ll.erelure, li flic hr-l place, I he internal, ai d which alone originate hum tl « Sotil it rli, and let us -it what they cliict in the j. ul. In ofdtr likcwi-e, that this may become manl¬ iest, and also their arrant in, nt, h • us 'm vey from on high, tl e d i ( lit, as 1‘lato 'ays, and d iluiiun of the wines i f the soul I iom tl,< In ginning therefore, and at hr-t, tl r soul w is uniti d to the (. I-, and Us un.ty 1 > their one lint alt, rwards, the s, ul <h pirling Itom th s divine union, il, iriuli 1 min inlilliil, aid no I-inger pos rysrd It ai hi iii(s in,in ily, Hid in >>i >■, I it

■ pprrhi udi d ai d suneyrd them, I y simpli prop ■ turn',
and as it »i ir, cmil u i* of Us intrlhit lulhe next
place, dej ailing from iiiltlhrl, and dr'C inline info

■ e iso mg a> d d moia, if no longer a| pri hended real being* hy simple min lion*, but syllogistic ally, and transitu t ly, proc rrding'lroin one thing to am tlu r, from propositi mis to conclusions. Alleiward', abandoning true reasoning, and the d soiling pei uharity, it d< seen led into gem ration, and became lillnl with much irraiiooalily and prriiul ate ii. It is neicssary therefore, that it should in ur to Is pn pe r prim pies, and again irturii to the place bum wlienee it came, lo tins asc eut ai d apoc.il I'tasis however, llu'r lour manias routfd.ulr Aid tt,e n.U'ical mania mdi rd, hails tu symphony ail liannmiv, the agitate I and ih'liuhed nature ot Ilie p iris ol tl.r '„iil, will'll were humid away lu iii. h lutili lie's and inaplilodr, and were filled Willi alum hint tumult, lint the Ii lestii mania cause* the loul to hr | erlcrt and entire, and

prep*r*s . .o energue intellectually. For the musical mama a. r»* harmonizes and represses the pint' ot the soul; but the leb'lic tail'd llie "holt ol it (>■ ener- gizr, and pn-pa.es It to beinine entire, so that the in¬ tellectual pall ot it Inay energize. lor the soul bv destci ding into tin rtalini ol gemraii,.. , le-emt.les a thing 1 n s, u n.d relaxe I. And the Circle ol Mi turnr, or me u li Ilcilual part ot it I- Ii Here I, l.ul the < ircle ,1 thi i/idcr. til, or llie thu.i'tn pail, sustains many lu tiin-' and turnings. lle.ee, thi soul energizes | irliallv, and lint aiconllng lo the whole <5 llsrll. lie I Jn.iiy -1 It al inspiration ,1 riel re, alirr the part* cl Ihe suul are co-harmoiii/ei), ri oilers Itpiil, , 1 , and rausi * It to em-lgi/i- at Uiduig lu I he whole ul iImIi, and tuhve mil lleiiui! y. Hul the Apolh.inaial mama iiiiiirii, ,nd i nix. He, all i he limit .pin d |’ow i T', iinrl lue whole ol ihr soul lo the i *nf of it. limit) Apollo is deiiuininated, as elec a mg llie soul Irom miiltiiude, to 1'ecu. And tne [riua.iniig in una, the um.itorv, receiving ih> soul united. . imp a iis tills , lie ol the- soul to ti e (,od , auj tu intelligible beauty. As the turn thprelure o! I In--c man as aie trail, elide nly united, and are in rich t.tlu r, the- gills al-o oil this account | trin ipate <’l, and i om mu no ate w u h, eaCli ol her, and the recipient, win, h is llie s ail, posse-srs ail ada| tatioli to all tin gibs, this llierelore i> the order, ami these are ienergies a id powtis within the foul itself, of these lour u.ni .as

“ li it let iis al o ions ul, r their external r lie r c, its on ruin, a I w h it they i utwanlly t lit et ah,ml us 1 he iniis.cal mama then lore, tatisis us lo spe ik in vrrsr, ai.d to a,t and he muvtd rhy lliiinc.illy, and to sing m nittie, the 'pit mlid C tils ol tiiviut mill, and llitir xirlms and | or-tnls, and through these, to tlistiplme t ii r 1 .le, in the saint m inner as ihr inward n at.ias co- harim.iiue our s ail. Ii it the tile tc mania, expel- h ig eierv thing loreign, contaminating, and noiious, pic i ivts our lilr perlict, and n noxious, and banish¬ ing all ll sjue and diaholu al | hanlasy, Causes us to he sam, cut re and perl, . t, just as lit internal telrslir mam t, makes the 'oiil to he pern ct anil mine Again, the pmphelic mania cuiHracts into one, the extension and ml nity ol time, and sees as ill one present now all thing , the pa t, the Inline, and the existing time. , It lu e, it pit ill’ Is w hat w ill he, w hi h It se, s a* prr- s, nt lu itself. ll c loses ns tl eri l,.ie, to pass through lilt lu an Itrt |tii hi i.'ihli in.inm l , |usl a. lb" liileru.il pi i phi 1 1 ii am i t oiiIi.ii Is anil t li vales all Ihe multi¬ plied, alul many Jioweis and lives of the soul, to Me t»-.e, in older that it may in a g i alt r tlegrt e be pre¬ serve d and coi nected. Hut the amatory mama ton- verts young persons to u-, and cati'i s llurii to become utirlriti.d-, being instructive ol youth, and leading them In in sensible biauty, to our psytl.ual Leauty, am] Irom this 'ending them to Inltlligil le I tauly , in the sin c m.iiinrr as tl e internal aumlurj mama con¬ joins the vnr nt the soul to the Cod'.

“All ihe fchoi t-nientiolitil mama* therefore, are superior tu the profit ut ai d Icinpriaie cnergle* of the soul. Ni virtl.i It'S, there is a mania which is cu-or- dn.ale with liinpci.nice, ai d which we 'ay, ha* in a ceil..in rt'jni a preing.itise above 1 it. 1 »r tirlaiu in'I ii at u is ait- | it. hit t , 1 , ai 111 ding to the middle, *> '1 al o aic .riling to tin- tlox istic na-idis ol ll * sou 1 , cuii- loriii.tldy to w nn h artists t licet certain tl :i.g», ami dis¬ cover theorems buy olid expectation, a* Asclrpius, lor

1 For wo here, it is necessary- to read

ADDITIONAL NOTLS.

lumr, til iimiiciiir, and llrmiies in thr j Tactic 1

Aft* riv.ml", i i! eotiiii i nting mi what I’lato siysof 1 fir in an i.i Iroin tlic Mm*'', m. “ tl at it adorns the 111tii>Hi- 'lei d* nl tin- am u nis," lit rmr.is ol serve',“ that the inward rnrr_• v m thr smil of ll c poetic in. him, ly a| 111> ii 1 (C it'-cll In '•uprrinr am! intelligible natures, im¬ parts t« Mil'tiril u.iir iiaturrs harmony ami order; hut tliftt tin- rslrrn.tl divinely inspired purlrv celebrates thr ilrnli nl the anc rut*, ami instructs hntli its con- Irnlpur.lilts iml posterity, rxirndtng its cm rgies carry ulit it " lint l lato »ays, •• that hr who without th« ilivi.’rly-inspirr il mania ril' thr Musrs, expects to hc- < nine i ilitmr p. rt, will hy thus I.u.ey mi;, become him i ll in'l'rrlrrl ; and Ins | airy wall hr vanq nshrd »i d contrail d hy thr purtry which is thr progeny of in mu," llrrinr is ad l», “ 1 or w I it siimhtnilr is there between thr pot try i l Clui rilus and t alltmarhus, and that nl Ilomrr anti I’indar f l or the divinely-inspired ports, as hi nip lillrd (ruin the Muses, alw ays invoke tin in, and estci d to the-in all tint they ' ly." I u a fuller, and most admirable act mint of the poetic mama, and of the dill rent spines ol poetry hy 1‘rt chi-, see the Notes on the lOlh hook or tlic Krpuhhe, in my translation of I’l.lto, and uiso the Inlrodnetion to ;ny translation ol the llhcloiit. Poetic and Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle.

Front what i- 1 ere jaici by Ilermras about enthu¬ siasm, the intelligent reader w nl casi y *re that none ol the Human ( oris v- ho-e work' have been trans¬ mitted tin', p.sscssed that "In h is primarily, pro- jieilv, ami truly enthusiasm, or th it highest -'pecirs of it,in winch (Vo'ie ol the soul i-illuminated by adivine n ituic, ami though traus- r ndi nt similitude, is united mu. As to Virgil, indeed, the prince of these ports, though lie invokes the Mi sc in me In ginning ol the ■ 1111 in I, yrt his invoc ition ol her is but a partial and secondary thing. 1 > r I c only c ills r u her to unf -Id to him the c.io-rs that iiivofvc d a man of such n markable pie's as Kite s. in so many mi'lorlunes ;

.Mns i, nuln causas hi- mora, **c.
and contidii g in Ins nw n g< uni', hr begins hi* poeru
without Soliciting 'llpr Hull in'| ir.lllon,

Anna, viruinq-.e caiio, &C

To which r ay lu* add. I t it this placing htmjrlf l c-
f,,re tl e Muse, rcscmblr* llic no cf mein rex of
Wolsclry. On the contrary, chvim ly-in'pirrd poet*, a*
llrrmca- well observes, knot k, a* it were, at »hr gate*
of the Muses, and thus being Idled from thence ci-
rl.um,

r frwrri pu> t Moi/<toj —

And,

A r,d.

Tor being

Mirer aeihe tea —•

AcSpa M ct cmwc Moc-era— alsvays cilended to them, they dispose the

whole of what they alter.* ards say, a* derive d from their
inspiring influence. With an arrogance, too, peculiar
to the Homan', who as a certain Grit k poitsays,* weT«
a people

“ Hey* ml measure proud,"

he associate s hini'i If, m los i n Fatigue, with ti e Muses, as their rriu.il;